The Time Turner
by Bluegirl2751
Summary: Is it worth it to go back in time to change the outcome of the final battle even if going back in time means being captured by the dark lord?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the Harry Potter books or movies

Hermione held the hands of the two closest first years. As head girl, she was in charge of keeping the younger students safe. Her body yearned to go fight beside her two best friends, but her mind worked against it. Dumbledore had given her specific instructions to follow. Not pursuing them would bring death to more than one innocent soul. Hermione let go of the two children beside her and walked over to check the trapdoor above them.

They were lucky that Dumbledore had seen the advances beforehand, or they never would have made it through the trap door in time. Dumbledore had come across Voldemort's plans from an ever-useful spy, whose name had never passed Dumbledore's lips.

She finished checking the locking spell on the trapdoor and ran her fingers through her long brown hair, which was damp from the dripping water from above. Hermione looked around the room for some way to keep herself awake. Magic could kill at this moment. She had no idea if the final battle had ended or not, and there were most likely deatheaters roaming the castle trying to find them. Magic would be the easiest way to track anyone down, and if used, would be their downfall.

Footsteps sounded through the hallway above them. Friend or enemy, she did not know, and she had to figure out. Hermione walked silently up the staircase to look through the small stone tinted window. It was impossible to see through the glass from the other side. To them it was just another ordinary stone that the castle was full of.

_Deatheater_, Hermione thought, disgusted, as she went back down to the underground room to check on the younger students. Third year and under were in this moderately sized, underground area. The room was about half the size of the great hall, which made keeping track of all the students quite easy.

The footsteps faded away and a hushed whisper carried through the room. Hermione knew it was only natural for this to occur. The students had been cooped up in this room for who knew how long. A few of them had fallen asleep, but most of them were awake, staring silently at each other. They sat lifelessly, almost as if the terror of what could happen had drained them of any of the sparkle she had seen in their eyes when she had seen them when walking through the hallways.

More footsteps were heard from above and the students quickly stopped speaking. Hermione walked up once again to see who it was. As she was walking up the stares, the footsteps stopped, as more came in. Something was wrong.

"My lord, I believe that all has gone as planned."

"Do not lie to me, something is wrong and you know it."

Hermione recognized one of the men quickly, and she only had to guess who the other cloaked figure was. The man she recognized was Lucius Malfoy and the other man was Lord Voldemort.

"My lord, the deatheaters have been searching, and we can not seem to find the rest of the students, the ones who did not fight at all."

"What else Lucius, you are still hiding something from me."

"My Lord, the mudblood you told us to find, Hermione Granger is it?"

"What about Miss Granger?" Voldemort hissed.

"She is gone as well."

Hermione stared in horror at the two men. They had said everything else had gone as planned._ Oh God no_, Hermione thought. That only meant one thing. Harry was dead.

"It seems the little mudblood has slipped away from our grasp, but we will find her. Search the whole castle for her. I want her brought to me alive."

"My lord, what about the other students?"

"I do not care what you do with them, but find Ms. Granger first."

Hermione hurried silently down the stairs to check on the other students. Everything was in order, yet chaos started to fill the room as students whispered to each other what they had heard. In only a few seconds, everyone was staring at Hermione.

This was dangerous. She was on the top of their list. Staying with the rest of the group would be letting them kill two birds with one stone. She had to get out of here before the deatheaters found them.

Hermione quickly decided to use the passageway through the painting right outside the trap door. She quickly told the third years that they were to not let anyone out, and that there was food in the portrait.

Getting into the passage behind the painting was easier than she had thought. No one had gotten in her way. The murky passageway had not been used in a while, and for a good reason as well. This tunnel ended up directly in Professor McGonagall's office. Vivid memories about Professor McGonagall filled her mind as she kept on walking. Being brought to the sorting hat, the time turner… good god, the time turner! If Professor McGonagall still had that time turner in her desk, she might be able to warn Harry and Dumbledore about the outcome of the final fight before it started.

A/N: Hey, it's me again, with a new story! Tell me what you think about it so far. I'll give cookies out to reviewers.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the Harry Potter books or movies.

Hermione glanced back over her shoulder. She knew no one was following her, but it felt as if someone was watching her every move. Every time she turned a corner in the dark passage way it felt as if someone was going to leap out and grab her. If she calculated correctly, Professor McGonagall's office was only a few more turns away. Hermione quickened her pace a little. Hopefully the Deatheaters would have already passed Professor McGonagall's office before she got there.

The passage way finally ended, and Hermione was relieved to see that no one else was in the room. The room was dark and silent. A candle still flickered in the silence of the room, which gave Hermione a creeping feeling throughout her body. She was probably the first person in here after Professor McGonagall had left, meaning that the deatheaters were going to be up here in any moment.

As quickly as she could, Hermione searched through the dimly lit room to find the time turner. To her shock, she found it quickly enough in the top left drawer of Professor McGonagall's desk. It had almost been too easy. Something was wrong here.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway into the room where Hermione was standing. If only she knew how many hours she had to go back. It had seemed like forever sitting in that room waiting for the war to end.

She could definitely hear footsteps now. They were approaching quickly. Hermione could not waste any more time if she wanted to make this out alive. Closing her eyes, Hermione turned the time turner nine times right as she heard the door open.

A few seconds later, Hermione found herself face to face with Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall took a few seconds to look over Hermione's condition before she began to speak.

"Ms. Granger, what do you believe you are doing?"

Hermione hesitated for a second. There was no simple way to explain this.

"Professor McGonagall, I have come back to warn Professor Dumbledore and Harry about the final outcome of the battle."

"Good god child, you know what you are doing is against the ministry's laws. You could mess everything up for good."

"Professor, the world will be messed up for good if I do not carry on with my plan. If I do not do anything now, Voldemort will have our whole world at his fingertips."

Hermione waited for a moment as Professor McGonagall thought this all over. Hermione knew very well that she would be breaking some of the ministry's top laws by doing this, but living life with Voldemort as the ruler would be too much for any of the wizarding world, and muggle world as well.

"Very well Ms. Granger, the password for Professor Dumbledore's office is toffee tart. I believe Harry is in there with him."

Hermione walked through the hallways of the ever lively school. It seemed like only seconds ago that she was in that dreadfully silent room. Before long she was in front of the Stone Gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office.

"Toffee Tart"

The revolving staircase appeared moments later as the gargoyle rotated with it. Hermione walked onto the stairs and waited silently as the staircase slowly spun upwards.

"Ms. Granger, what a pleasant surprise, what is the problem?"

Hermione stared at Dumbledore in disbelief. However he knew what was going on in her head she would probably never figure out.

"Professor Dumbledore, I have to tell you the outcome of the final battle."

Hermione paused waiting for Dumbledore's reaction.

"Negative or positive?"

"I'm afraid it is negative Professor."

"I was afraid so, but I believe that that can all be fixed because of you. Mr. Potter just left my office about two Lexapros ago."

"Two what?"

"Lexapros, they are my own unit of time that I have become rather attached to. For your convenience, Mr. Potter left around ten minutes ago. I will go find him immediately to tell him the news. I believe it would be best if you stayed in here for a while. We would not want you to meet up with your past self."

Dumbledore disappeared from view a second later. Hermione sat, still confused from the whole Lexapro conversation. The man really did have a mind of his own, and apparently, she thought to herself, he has found a way to disaparate inside the castle grounds.

Dumbledore reappeared almost instantly with Harry at his side. Harry's face almost seemed as shocked as Hermione's was when Dumbledore had disappeared.

"Ms. Granger, I have decided that the only way to keep everyone safe is to evacuate the castle immediately. You and Mr. Potter need to go down to the train station as quickly as possible to make sure a train is ready. Expect the students in thirty minutes."

Dumbledore disappeared once again.

"How the hell do you think he does that?" Harry asked.

"No earthly idea."

Hermione and Harry ran quickly to the grounds to get to the train station in time. Just as Dumbledore had predicted, there was train waiting for them.

"You know Hermione, Dumbledore definitely has a way of knowing everything; I wonder how he does it."

"So do I Harry, so do I."

The students started appearing a few minutes later. Everything was chaotic as the students filed into the train. Ron met up with them to help shuffle everyone onto the train. Finally all the students had boarded the train, and Hermione, Harry, and Ron were all sitting in the head compartment with Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, I am confused about the other Hermione, what exactly is going to happen?"

"Well Ms. Granger, it is not that difficult to explain. In five junders, or eight hours for you, your past self will disappear from existence. Nothing will happen to yourself, or any of our plans. At the moment you are sitting in the three broomsticks, reading a book."

Hermione stared at Dumbledore for a moment, but her attention turned toward the forest outside the window. Hooded figures were running through the forest toward the school. A white mask filled her eyes for a second, revealing who were under the cloaks. Deatheaters were going to go attack Hogwarts at this moment, and they were not even trying to stop the train. It seemed as if they did not notice that the train was filled up with all the students of Hogwarts.

The train kept on going, and more and Hermione saw more and more deatheaters running through the forest. There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands. The small amount of deatheaters that they had seen at the world cup was nothing compared to this.

A/N: Hey you guys, hope you liked the second chapter. As promised, cookies for BigHarryFan, Raspberrie13, Dracodolenz, Moonjava, Acdecnerd, Toryness, Adriane-enairdA, Chrissy92, Vanessa Masterson, and Jess for reviewing. Thanks a ton for the reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the Harry Potter books, movies, or merchandise.

As time went by, the crowds of deatheaters slowly thinned out. The compartment was silent for a moment, mostly in shock, but in fear as well. No one would have guessed that there had been so many deatheaters. Hermione watched Professor Dumbledore as he kept on looking out the window as if something, or someone, was out there. It frightened her to see Dumbledore in shock. It seemed as if he had always known everything before hand, and to see him like this was frightening.

A thought struck Hermione. If she was not going to disappear from the Three Broomsticks until eight hours from now, how could she be sure her other self was not going to be captured by Voldemort? Since he was not going to find anyone at Hogwarts, what was keeping him from attacking Hogsmeade? It was not safe for her other self to be there, even if she was going to disappear in eight hours. Eight hours was enough time to break, rebuild, and get answers.

"Professor Dumbledore, if my other self is in Hogsmeade, couldn't she be captured by the deatheaters?"

Dumbledore turned toward Hermione with a look she had never seen in his eyes before, terror.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder again. Even though Professor Dumbledore had told her she would be perfectly safe here, something felt utterly wrong. The Three Broomsticks was not as safe as it could be. But then, it could be the fact that she was going to disappear in eight hours. Dumbledore had known that she was bright enough not to go insane because of this whole disappearing thing, but she was getting pretty close. None of the books in the library ever said anything about time turner mistakes and such, or what happened to the other self once they disappeared.

The door to the Three Broomsticks opened again, letting the cool breeze flow in. Hermione kept on drinking her butterbeer. She had turned around every other time to see who was entering, and it always ended up as some random witch or wizard. A hooded figure walked up to the bar and sat next to her.

"Hello Miss Granger." A cold raspy voice said from beneath the hood.

"And who do you think you are?" Hermione was already annoyed enough for the day; she did not need anyone else to help out.

"Someone who could never affect you, but could lead to your destruction."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The hooded figure pulled back his hood, and Lucius Malfoy's face appeared.

"You will be coming with me."

"The thing is," Hermione stood up, "you can't. If you have not noticed yet, we are in a room full of…" Hermione looked around. She wasn't in the Three Broomsticks anymore. "Where am I?"

"Welcome to Lord Voldemort's dungeon mudblood; I suspect he will be with you shortly."

Lucius Malfoy threw Hermione into one of the cells, and he walked out of the dungeon, closing the door behind him. Hermione was trapped in absolute darkness, something she had been afraid of ever since she was a child.

Hours later, Hermione was still trapped in the cell, and nobody had come. If she had calculated correctly, she would disappear in around five minutes.

The door to the dungeon opened, filling the room with an eerie glow. Two figures walked down the staircase towards where Hermione was. They were both speaking softly to themselves, and Hermione could barely make out what they were saying, but she had a feeling it was best not to know. Pale hands unlocked the cell door, and Hermione saw two crimson colored eyes staring at her. The man opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione disappeared before he began to talk.

Hermione was lying down on her bed as the memories flashed into her mind. Lucius Malfoy at the bar. A dark prison cell. A long wait. Two crimson eyes staring at her. Exhaustion fell over her body, and her eyes closed into a deep slumber.

"My lord, what happened to her?"

"It seems our little friend decided to cheat, but in the end it will be her that has to pay."

A/N: Hey you guys, sorry for not updating in such a long time. I'm leaving for the United Kingdom for ten days, so of course, I can't update. Don't worry, if I get enough reviews in the next four days I'll probably have a chapter done by the time I get back.

**Adriane-enairdA**: I'm glad you like it. It's always nice to know that my stories aren't complete crap.

**BIGHARRYFAN**: Hmmm… I guess you were right. Good job.

**Raspberri13**: Your welcome.

**JayC-WCHS**: Thanks.

Moonjava: Hope you liked this chapter as well. Vanessa Masterson: Wow, how'd you guess? No, just kidding, but thanks anyway. Your review made my day, for about a week. 

**Jess**: Thanks

**Chrissy92**: Hmmm, I'm tired of saying thanks, so thank you.

F.I.C Morph: Thanks, every review helps 

**Toryness**: Well, thanks for telling me. I'm going to miss you so much since your going to be gone for a month, but I'll send you a postcard from the UK.

**Donoma**: Shiver, well, I guess you meant I would suffer because of the whole thing that you like my story, or maybe you don't.

**Rkgrl**: Glad you like it.

**0Bitter0Sweet0**: I understand how you could be confused. I hope this chapter didn't confuse you too much. It should be more straightforward from now.

**Lovenotknown**: You can have a cookie anyways because you reviewed.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books or movies.

A/N: The story is going to include stuff from the sixth book, and from this chapter on I will not mention Dumbledore again.

Hermione woke up as the weak sunlight began filtering into her room. She changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before she headed downstairs to eat some breakfast.

Her parents were talking casually to each other in the kitchen as she walked down the stairs. Hermione hugged them both before she poured some cereal for herself. She was lucky that nothing had gone wrong with the time turner, and that no one had died in the process, but the memories from last night still haunted her, and she did not want to know the consequences that could have happened if her other self had been killed.

After eating her breakfast, Hermione decided to tell her parents what had happened yesterday to make her have to com home from Hogwarts. For all she knew, they probably thought she had been expelled. They had just sat down in the living room right as the doorbell rang.

Hermione opened the door and slammed it after realizing who it was. Lucius Malfoy was standing outside of her front door. The deatheaters had found out where her family lived, and she had to get them out of the house as soon as possible.

"Hermione, what is going on?" Her mother asked from the other room.

"Mother, we need to get out of the house now."

"Don't be silly darling. Go let our guest in, it's not like he's a mass murderer or anything."

Her mother chuckled as she went to open the door.

"You see Hermione, it's only a traveling salesman, nothing to be afraid of at all."

"Yes, there is nothing to be afraid of." Lucius Malfoy said as he gave Hermione on of the famous Malfoy smirks.

Hermione ran up to her room to retrieve her wand as her mother gave Mr. Malfoy a quick apology and asked him to sit down.

Hermione got up to her room and locked the door behind her. She could not go back down even if her parents' lives depended on it. Lucius Malfoy had com to kill her, or worse, bring her to Voldemort, ending in more deaths than just three.

Desperately Hermione tried to decide what to do. Everyone who she knew who could help were to far away to contact in just a few minutes. Even if she could find Harry's phone number in the pile of papers on her desk, no one in that household would let Harry talk to her. Damn them all. Lucius Malfoy was in her house pretending to be a traveling business man, and her parents had fallen for the trick. Unless she thought fast, her parents would probably get killed. The only thing that would work would be a decoy.

Hermione rushed to her door to go and tell her parents something to get them to dismiss Malfoy, but as she reached the door, two words were shouted from the room below her. Hermione slid down one of the walls in disbelief. She quickly stood back up again when she realized the wall had moved. With a bit of moving around, Hermione found a staircase behind one of the wall panels. The staircase probably was used back in the eighteen hundreds when the house was built; it probably led to the kitchens.

Footsteps banged up the stairs as Hermione quickly closed the wall panel. She was in complete darkness once again. Spider webs fell across her face. At the end of the staircase, Hermione shoved against the wall and forced the hidden door to open. Just as she had suspected, the staircase ended up in the kitchen. Not bearing to go through the front room, Hermione ran out the back door with her wand in hand. She smiled when no deatheaters came out from the bushes as she held out her wand. The night bus appeared in front of her. Before the conductor could begin to speak, Hermione ran into the bus pulling him behind her.

"Take me to the Leaky Cauldron, and fast."

"That will be one galleon and six sickles please."

Hermione handed the conductor the money and found herself a bed. After about five minutes of constant jerking and shuffling, the night bus stopped in front of an old looking pub called the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

"Miss Granger, where are you?" Lucius Malfoy said under his breath, his frustration doubling with every minute he wasted looking for this mudblood.

* * *

Hermione sat down at the desk in her room at the Leaky Cauldron. She had already written three identical letters: one for the order, one for Harry, and one for the Weasleys. Each letter listed the events of the night and asked for them to come meet her in front of Greengots tomorrow at eleven o'clock sharp. At the moment she was waiting for the three owls that Tom the innkeeper was bringing.

After awhile Tom finally knocked on the door. She rushed over to open the door, and there stood Tom with a tooth grin and three barn owls on his left arm.

"I believe these are for you missus." Tom said as he let the birds step onto the window seal.

"Thank you Tom."

Hermione gave Tom a quick squeeze which made the old man smile even wider. Tom walked out of the door mumbling something about not getting enough appreciation for his age, and Hermione chuckled softly to herself as she gave an addressed letter to each owl.

After sending each owl on it's own way, Hermione slipped into her bed clothes and got into bed. This had been a long day, and everything had gone by too fast. For some reason she thought it was her fault her parents had died. A thought struck her. She had only heard Lucius Malfoy say the curse once. Maybe, if she was lucky, one of her parent's might have gotten away. After several minutes of deep thinking, Hermione Granger finally went to sleep.

* * *

"Well Lucius, did you get her?"

"No my lord, but we have captured one of her parents."

"You will get her tomorrow Lucius. Crucio."

* * *

Hermione woke up and stared at the ceiling for awhile, letting the events of the day before settle in. One of her parents was dead, and that was all she knew. She had to find out if one of her parents was still alive, and if they were, she had to find them. Hermione pulled herself out of bed and blindly reached for the glass of water she had left on the bedside table the night before. The only thing she found was a letter addressed to her. Knowing that owl post was not fast enough to get a reply from any of the people she had sent letters to, her hands trembled as she turned the envelope over.

A wax seal of the dark mark was the only thing that kept the envelope closed; Hermione shivered. She hoped it had been Tom that had gotten the letter up here, but no matter who took it to her room, Voldemort still knew where she was. Hermione broke the wax seal and began to read.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_Thank you for your hospitality last evening._

_You seemed to have left before I could thank_

_You. But do not worry, your mother had a _

_Life taking experience and you father just _

_Happened to follow me home. If you wish _

_To see him ever again meet me at number _

_Forty-seven Knockturn Alley right after_

_You have finished reading this letter. I _

_Will be waiting. Be warned, your father's _

_Life is in my master's hands; Come Alone._

_Lucius Malfoy._

Hermione read the letter over two more times before she realized what she had to do in order to save her father. Voldemort wanted bait, and she was one of Harry's best friends. She would probably be the easiest to capture with there being such tight security on the Weasley's house.

Hermione left her payment for the room on the bedside table and hurried down to Diagon Alley. The streets were considerably empty compared to the last time she had been here. Figures in dark cloaks stared into boarded up windows as if there were more than just wooden planks standing in front of them. A man in ragged clothing stared up at her from the sidewalk with bloodshot red eyes. Hermione quickened her pace even though she knew that what lay ahead of her was worse than what lay behind.

It was not long before Hermione reached Knockturn Alley and the people around her started looking worse. Men and women alike were crawling up to her, pulling at her clothing while begging for forgiveness. Hermione did not know what they were talking about, and she tried to walk away, but one of them caught her foot, making her stumble. She closed her eyes waiting for her face to hit the ground, but it never did.

Two large arms wrapped around Hermione's body right before her face hit the stone paved road. Hermione was too scared to turn around to see who her savior was, and closed her eyes as the man pulled her up. Once upright, Hermione started walking ahead, not brave enough to turn around.

"Not even a thank you from the Mudblood, how disappointing."

Hermione stopped in her tracks as Lucius Malfoy's harsh but elegant voice filled her mind. Before she could turn around, Lucius had appeared in front of her.

"Do you not want to see your father again Mudblood?"

"You are going to kill him anyways Mr. Malfoy, so give me a reason why I should not dissaperate right at this moment.

"Tell you what mudblood, if you come with me, I will set your father free forever."

"How can I trust you?"

"You have my word as a death eater."

A/N: I would like to thank **F.I.C. Morph, Chrissy92, Raspberri13, Dracodolenz, Lovenotknown, Jess, Warpaint13, **and **Carebearerin** for reviewing the last chapter. I'm leaving again tomorrow for Georgia, and I expect a lot of reviews when I get back. Thanks for reading (and hopefully reviewing).


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize from the Harry Potter books or movies does not belong to me.

Lucius Malfoy held out his hand towards her, and she knew that no other choice but to grab a hold of it. He would take them both to wherever her father was, but that was as much forethought that she had of his plan. His comment about 'setting her father free forever' really had not settled her nerves down at all, but there was always the chance that instead of killing him, her father might never be bothered by Voldemort and his Death Eaters for the rest of his hopefully long life.

Hermione lightly touched Lucius Malfoy's gloved hand and waited for the world around her to start disappearing. Mr. Malfoy seemed to pause for a second once she had touched his hand, maybe out of surprise, but he quickly took out his wand and started the dissaperating process. In less than five seconds, they were back in the dungeon that her old self had been placed in what only seemed like an hour ago.

"I am glad that you recognize this place," Lucius Malfoy said right before he disappeared again.

Hermione sighed in relief when he left, and hoped that he would not remember that she still had her wand. If she could keep it without them realizing it, there would be a chance that she might be able to save both herself and her father, but is she dissaperated now, her father might never be saved.

After her wand was lit, she looked around to see if her father was in any of the cells that were around her. No such luck. All of the cells that went down the hallway were empty, and there seemed to be no staircase out. If anything, this was probably just the only place that Lucius Malfoy could put her while knowing that there would be no way for her to escape.

Hermione looked more closely at each of the cells and realized that they did not even have locks on them. The cells could have been locked by magic, or maybe they were just there to make people emotionally unbalanced. Compared to her old self's experience of being in one of them, being trapped in a hallway with almost no barriers seemed to be more calming.

With her wand still lighted up, Hermione found her way back to the point where Lucius Malfoy had left her and sat down. There was a quick debate in her mind whether or not to keep the wand lighted up or not, but her fear of having her only resource taken away from her was much worse than her fear of the dark. When the light was gone, Hermione put her wand on one of the inside pockets of her jeans that she had bought at a wizarding shop.

In the darkness, Hermione thought about what Harry and Ron would have done if they were in the same situation that she was in. Harry would probably have gone and killed every Death Eater that came into his eyesight, and Ron might have found a way to dissaperate back to his own house. It was a nice thought that she would be the only one of the three that took the 'captive' situation best.

"I am glad that you decided to go along with our little plan," a voice said from behind her.

Hermione shrieked.

"Oh dear, is heroine of our story scared?" Hermione did not turn around. She knew who was behind her and had no want of seeing his face again.

"I was just surprised by the unknown, which is a completely human reaction."

Hermione heard Voldemort walk in front of her and stop, but she still could not see his face. It was too dark to make out any image around her

"Completely human Miss Granger? I would think that you thought yourself above that position. You were the top of your class, the brains behind the boy wonder, and you were able to reorder time. I am surprised that you do not think yourself a god."

Her suspicions had been true. Lord Voldemort knew about what she had done. When he had tried to attack Hogwarts, he had found it empty, and her old self had mysteriously vanished in front of him without the possession of a wand. It would only take a bit of thought to figure out what had happened.

"Now, I must ask you Miss Granger, would you prefer to stay here to tell me of the light side's defeat, or maybe somewhere more appropriate for the task?"

He was playing with her, but the feelings that went down her spine still did not feel good.

"Where is my father?"

Voldemort chuckled. "I would thought that you would have found him by now. You do know that he is down here I hope."

"No he is not," Hermione screamed.

"Might I ask how you know that?"

Hermione had to think quickly. She had responded to his last statement without pausing to think.

"I would have heard him breathing," she said quietly.

"I must add observant to the many characteristics that I have heard you have. For your sake, your father is still alive. He will be taken back to where he was found, and I promise that none of us will seek him out again."

Hermione let out a small 'thank you' out of habit without realizing whom she was telling it to.

"I reward my helpers," Voldemort said coolly.

"How have I…"

Voldemort interrupted her. "You fell for the trap Miss Granger. You tried to be a hero, like Mr. Potter, by saving your father. Little did you know that you would be turned into the bait."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock as she realized how stupid she had been. How could she have not seen this coming? She had had so many years of knowing everything and seeing everything in advance that she never thought that anything could ever be overlooked. Hermione silently groaned into her hands when she realized that she had one chance to get out of this mess.

By using the darkness, she slid her wand out of her jeans, and waited for Voldemort to start talking again. Right as the first syllable left his mouth, she attacked.

"Stupefy!" a red lightning bolt was emitted from her wand and she saw Voldemort's face before he fell down. He didn't even look surprised.

"Crucio," a voice said from behind her. Hermione yelled from the pain that was being inflicted upon her, but caught a glance of who had cast the spell.

When the spell was taken off of her, Lord Voldemort smiled and walked around to where her head was. Hermione looked back at the Voldemort that she had cursed to the floor and then to the one above her.

"Don't you find it fascinating how a bit of polyjuice potion can make a person believe anything? Wormtail has done a spectacular job."

Author's Note:

I believe that the only way I can say this is that I am really sorry. I have never had such a large writer's block in my life, and I also have not had any time whatsoever with school and all. I promise that I will try my hardest to keep up constant updating, and I would like to thank WannaBArtist, Nicky, Agent Pheonix, Mandi, Iliana Elizabeth, Kaoz of Slytherin, Star Twinkle Angel??????, Raspberri13, Lovenotknown, Warpaint13, Indigo Spirit, CareBearErin, DarkKitsunecub, and Squiggles.Candi for reviewing. I would not been able to write again without looking at the reviews that you guys sent me.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or make a profit from anything written here.

He'd outwitted her. How? Something in Hermione's mind began to tick like a bomb ready to explode. Wormtail, the little cheat who she had met in her third year, had found a way to outsmart her. Of course, he did have the help from Voldemort, but still, Wormtail? When had he gained knowledge? They must have been trying it out on her to see if it worked. How could she have fallen for something so stupid? She should have been more alert and thought of all the possibilities.

"Do not become paranoid Miss Granger. Your mind will only end up fighting against itself," Voldemort said smoothly. As much as Hermione wanted to disagree with him or fight that thought, he was right. Well, at least she could still act defiant even if he was right.

"I don't believe," Hermione said cautiously, "that you have any right to give me information about my health. It's just not as influential after you used the cruciatus curse against me."

"I do not plan on you being killed at the moment or having you kill yourself for that matter. Wormtail will take you to your living quarters."

Voldemort disappeared holding her wand. Hermione had not realized when he had taken it, but it was probably stolen from her when she was shrieking on the floor in pain. She tried to spend the rest of the next four minutes trying not to conjure up a mental image of what she had looked like. She hated being so defenseless against someone like Voldemort.

Wormtail had yet to wake up from when she had knocked him out, but at least he did not look like Voldemort anymore. Or, he could just be playing it dead while she was mad at him. She would wait though. It seemed like there was no manual way out of the dungeons. Magic was needed, or maybe there was some secret passage to a staircase. She probably would not find it without Wormtail's help.

"You might as well get up. I'm not going anywhere, and even though you're a filthy flea-bitten lying piece of filth, you are still my only way out."

Hermione watched Wormtail's face as a tears began to fall from his closed eyes. A pang of guilt hit her chest. Even though she despised Wormtail for all of his wrongdoings, she still hated to make people cry.

"I still see them you know," Wormtail sobbed as he opened his eyes. Hermione stared at him, wondering what was going on.

"Lily and James, bless them, they're souls have been haunting me for all of these years. I can't get rid of them. I don't know if I regret what I did more than I cherish it. If I went back in time, I don't know what decision I would make. Would I betray them again? Or would I refuse to become their secret keeper?"

Hermione just kept on staring at him. Was he trying to befriend her? If so, he really was not doing it very well. Hermione still despised him. She needed to stop his babbling before she ended up knocking him out again.

"Once something is done, there is no turning back on it," Hermione stated.

Wormtail looked up at her.

"That's not true for you. You reordered time. You changed it."

Hermione scowled at him. She didn't need to be reminded about the past several days again, but a question did linger. If she could go back, knowing what she knew now, what decision would she have made? Was her family more important than an entire school worth of kids? Hermione did not want to think about it.

"Just take me to where I'll be staying. I don't need to think about all of this." Hermione pushed the words out of her body before she knelt down beside Wormtail and started whining with him. She would not resort to that level.

Wormtail sniffed a bit but finally stood up after a few seconds. He averted his eyes from her and started walking towards the closest cell. Once there, he tapped a few stones, and a stairwell appeared. He paused for a second before turning to face her.

"Miss, I need you to let me put on these on you," he said as he thrust some old metal chains. "I know I have no wand with me, and you could easily go past me and try to escape, but believe me, you would be safer in this castle with them on. If you started running away, Miss, you'd end up putting yourself in more harm's way."

He realized she was his superior, that was good, but it seemed like no matter what, there was no chance for escape at the moment. If she met up with a Death Eater on her way through the castle, well, there could be much more ways of putting on restraints that were more painful.

Much against her character, she let Wormtail tie her hands together behind her back. He blindfolded her and led her through what seemed like numerous passage ways until finally, Wormtail opened a door and pushed inside before quickly shutting the door and running away. Now she was stuck in some unknown place with her hands tied behind her back, waiting for someone, anyone really, to untie her.

Hermione fell into a dreamless sleep while she was waiting.

When she woke up, her restraints had been removed, and her blindfold had been taken off. She was located in a bedroom, a relief after spending time in the dungeons, which was around the size of one of the dormitory rooms at Hogwarts. The room was made of large grey stones, and the bed was a plain white color with wooden bedposts. Two wooden doors led out of the room. One to the outside, and the other, she presumed, to a washroom.

There were no windows. A lamp hung from the walls, but that was the only light source that she had. It was almost as bad as the dungeons.

No, she corrected herself, the dungeons were better. Ever since opening her eyes, she felt eerie. If she was supposed to be a prisoner, why wasn't she in the dungeons? This treatment was too unexpected.

"Are you enjoying your new accommodations Miss Granger?" A voice said from a corner. Hermione recognized it as Voldemort, but refused to look towards him.

"I told you that we did not want you dead, and the dungeons are a place meant for those about to die. Now, if we could please get on with my plans, I want you to tell me the first version of history, the one where I defeated Harry Potter and reigned supreme over Hogwarts."

Hermione thought for a second.

"I want a window."

Voldemort seemed to consider this for a moment but finally nodded and went towards a wall. He pulled out his wand, whispering some words, and a window appeared. He had fulfilled his part of the deal, so she, hesitantly, began telling him the story of his siege of Hogwarts. Once finished, he left the room, angry but satisfied.

Hermione ran towards the window and screamed with anger. The view was not true to what she knew in life. Everything was wrong. Everything was perfect. Outside the window there were rolling hills of grass and cows slowly moving along. Voldemort had made a window out of nothing and put up a matching view. He had fooled her again.

Author's note: Don't you just hate it when a story gets really good and then, the author suddenly disappears for lets say a couple of months, almost a year. I'm really sorry. I feel all (or most) of the guilt, but I did finally update! I'll try to be better and write another in the next couple of days. Thank you Darkprince31, WindSymphony, Fizznsoot, LNluvsHostile17, Jess, POASO, Silver Tears 11, and Squiggles.Candi for reviewing. Ya'll really make life worthwhile!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I make no profit from writing or posting this, and none of the characters from the Harry Potter books belong to me.

Hermione spent the rest of that day looking out of the imaginary window that Voldemort had created for her. It wasn't the most interesting sight and she knew that it was completely imaginary, but it was easier to look at a make-believe world instead of the prison walls of her room.

What was he planning to do to her? He said that he would use her as bait, both Harry and the rest of the Order of Phoenix new that if one of them was captured, it was not worth it to try and rescue them. She was probably left for the dead, which meant she'd have to escape by herself.

Hermione started to turn around, but bumped into something…or someone.

"Allo Miss! Me name is Corte, and Master sent me to help you get ready to go downstairs!"

It was a house elf. Hermione did not know what to do with it. A conscious twang went through her mind, mentally refusing to accept the help from the defenseless, overworked house elf.

"Hello Corte," Hermione said calmly. "Would you like to help me escape from here? I could get you a better place to work, where they would pay you."

The house elf stared at her, aghast that she would even mention pay. He yelled out something along the lines of "Corte loves Master!" before vanishing. Hermione sank down to the floor in despair before she saw what the house elf had left behind. Corte had left her some blue dress robes. With further observation, she noticed that they looked almost exactly like the ones she had worn to the Yule Ball in fourth year. What was going on?

Hermione did not want to wear clothes that were given to her by Voldemort, but her clothes were beginning to stink from being in the dungeons, and there were several rips in them that were continually getting larger. She decided to bathe before getting into the clean clothes. The bathroom was not very different than the one she had at Hogwarts. Her gut began to lurch. What had happened to Hogwarts once everyone had abandoned it?

Hermione changed into the dress robes and walked toward the door. If she was supposed to go 'downstairs', somebody would have to take her. If no one was on the other side of the door, waiting to let her out, then she would probably just refuse to go if someone came to get her. One could only build up enough courage to face a group of Death Eaters, defenseless, once. She wasn't a coward, but she disliked being tortured when she could not do anything about it.

After knocking on the door several times, Hermione got frustrated and tried to open it. It was unlocked, and Draco Malfoy was standing on the other side of the door, smirking.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts, mudblood."

Hermione cringed as she realized that the Death Eaters had taken over Hogwarts, but scanned Malfoy over, noticing that his wand was sticking out of his back pocket. Trying not to look at the wand for to long or punch Malfoy's smirk off of his face, Hermione followed him.

Hogwarts was built as a fortress, and it was almost impossible to attack once somebody was controlling it. If she ever got the chance, she would have to figure out how Voldemort and the Death Eaters managed to take over. Hermione cringed again. They had taken over Hogwarts the first time everything had gone around, but the second time they had just come across an empty castle.

"You almost look acceptable in those dress robes, Granger."

Hermione stepped closer to him. "Do you think?"

Draco stopped and reached for her. Taking her chance, Hermione lunged toward Draco, knocking him down, and stole his wand. Hermione ran towards the other side of the hallway, which she now recognized as the transfiguration corridor. If she could reach the secret passageway which led to three floors above, she would be able to escape.

"You little Bitch," Draco said from behind her.

Sending a few curses back behind her, Hermione ran toward the painting of the evil wizard Egret being stabbed by a unicorn. Not the most pleasant of sights, but after saying the password softly, she was allowed to climb the hidden staircase.

Taking no chances, Hermione changed the password to the staircase from the inside and then rushed up the stairs, wondering what her plan was. Each classroom that contained a fireplace had a jar of floo powder on the mantle. The divination classroom would be easiest to get to without running into trouble.

Once exiting the hidden passageway, Hermione looked both ways before turning left towards the divination tower. This part of the castle was thankfully deserted. Unless Draco knew where the staircase she took went, she would probably have a good ten minutes before having to worry. Well, worry more excessively than she already was.

Hermione ran up the stairs to the divination classroom, but once at the top of the stairs, hissed at the stupidity of rope ladders. She would have to use Draco's wand, which might limit her time even more. It was easy to put a tracking device on a wand.

"Accio rope ladder."

The trap door opened and the rope ladder went tumbling down. Hermione climbed up and, once in the room, pulled everything back up and locked the door leading out.

"What is ickle Granger doing here? Doesn't she know not to hang around with Death Eaters?"

It was Peeves.

"Peeves, if you yell out or tell anyone where I am, I swear that I will get the Bloody Baron to curse you into oblivion," Hermione hissed through her teeth.

"Ha! He's right out gleeful that Moldy Voldy is here. If they're searching for you, Mister Baron will finally be on my side once I hand you over."

"You evil malicious…" Hermione stopped. She needed to get out of here, and time was running out. Sprinting towards the fireplace and avoiding the crystal balls that Peeves was throwing at her, Hermione reached for the first jar she came to.

"Damn. Tea Leaves." Hermione threw the jar down and went to the next.

After three tries she found the floo powder. Hermione stopped a tea pot in midair, and went to start the fire with the wand. Once lit, she threw a handful of floo powder into the fire and stepped in.

"Number twelve," Hermione coughed from the fumes before she kept going.

Someone tackled her out of the fireplace before she could finish. Looking up, she saw Voldemort and five masked Death Eaters. Draco Malfoy had been the one who attacked her.

"I had no idea," Voldemort said as he walked towards her, "that you would be this resourceful Miss Granger."

Hermione glared death at him as Draco took his wand back.

"Crucio."

Hey again! I actually managed to write another chapter. I'm afraid that I won't be able to update in a while due to the fact that I'm going to Scotland for three weeks, but don't worry, I'll print out this chapter and work on it in my notebook. Thank you **Balsam** and **Silver Tears 11** for reviewing the laster chapter. Ya'll are great!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or places mentioned in the Harry Potter series.

A/N: I know I said I wouldn't post again for a while, but I had one more day left. Thanks **Balsam** and **Silver Tears 11** for reviewing!

Hermione stared up at the ceiling and tried to figure out if there was any chance of escape. After collapsing from pain the last time she had tried, she didn't really know if she really wanted to try again. Well, being locked in the room that screamed 'prison' every time she looked around wasn't entirely pleasant either. She would have to wait until things died down before she tried to escape again.

The blue dress robes had been ripped up, and Corte had clicked his tongue rather profusely when he turned up when she had regained consciousness.

Corte had come in every day. He always had the same goal in his mind: to get Hermione into a new set of dress robes and get her down to breakfast. Hermione refused every time, but she was beginning to feel guilty. Corte took her rejections to a personal level and would go off screaming when she denied him. Only after six days did she realize that he was tortured every time she refused.

She refused to let a house elf be tortured because of her. On the seventh day she accepted Corte's offer and dressed in the lavender dress robes that he had brought her. Corte disappeared.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione knocked on the locked door that led outside of the room. Draco, sporting a black eye, scowled at her.

"I've been placed on door duty because of you, little mudblood."

Hermione tried not to smile as he turned her around and tied her hands behind her back. Too tight. Draco started walking down the corridor, and Hermione silently followed.

"I lost all of the respect I had worked for so long to get because of you," Draco said flustered. "Now the Elders just think that I'm a clumsy good for nothing kid."

Hermione remained silent. It had taken her a long time to gain respect from the members of the Order of the Phoenix. If she ever lost it, she'd probably get mad too. Of course, she didn't make mistakes like leaving her wand in her back pocket.

Draco led her down to the Great Hall. When the doors magically opened for them, Hermione gasped. The hall had been completely redesigned. It looked like something out of a medieval fortress. The tables had been placed on the sides of the room, with chairs all around, and the table at the head of the room seemed to hold the most important people in the room. This was all an assumption, but it seemed logical seeing as of the fact that Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy, and a few other Death Eaters that she recognized were sitting at the head table.

After Hermione had entered, it took a few seconds for Voldemort to look up from the work he had on the table. When he looked up at her, a smile slowly fell across his face.

"It is nice to see that you have decided to join us Miss Granger."

All of the eyes of the Death Eaters turned directly to her. Hermione looked around for Draco, but he was nowhere in site. She was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, surrounded by people who were ready to pounce at her the moment Voldemort commanded it. Voldemort began to speak again, and all eyes, including hers, went to him.

"I wanted to thank you personally for helping me secure power over Hogwarts. I am afraid that without you, it would have been much more difficult to gain such an important location."

Voldemort began to chuckle at his speech, and the rest of the hall followed in suit.

Hermione refused to acknowledge it. Voldemort stood up and started pacing around her.

"You must understand, Miss Granger, that Hogwarts in itself is a fortress. When the proper magic is used, it is impossible to get inside. If Harry Potter and his little army tried to get inside, they would be killed without one of us lifting a finger. We control when and where the battles are. Now we have the advantage."

Hermione knew all of this. This form of defense had been used in 1438 when the dark wizard Hesse Farley had tried to attack Hogwarts. Everyone trying to get in had been killed.

"I hope your little friend Potter knows about this. It wouldn't be a very fun final battle with him dead."

He was trying to get her to react to what she was saying, but Hermione would remain stoic. She would not let him get the satisfaction of a flinch, but she did wonder, did Harry know about the castle's defense? Somebody in the Order had to know. It would be stupid for all of their work to go to waste just because nobody knew about something as simple as the defense around the castle but then again Harry sometimes needed some help figuring things out, and she wasn't around to help.

"I have a proposition for you," Voldemort said softly.

Hermione looked up into his red eyes.

"What is it?"

Voldemort started to walk to the room adjoining the Great Hall and motioned for her and a select group of Death Eaters to follow. Once inside the room, Hermione looked around. It had been styled into a sort of office room with a desk and couches around the perimeter.

"Take a seat," Voldemort said, motioning to one of the black plush couches. Hermione sat, and Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix sat to either side of her, making sure that she did not try anything. Voldemort sat down at the desk.

"You are in a sticky situation Miss Granger, and I am willing to do a favor for you if you do a few favors for me.

Hermione stared at him, tempting him to go on.

"I want you to become a Death Eater."

Lucius Malfoy stood up. "My Lord, she is a mudblood. You have yet to allow one into our society. Letting her in would be against everything that we are fighting for."

Voldemort looked slowly over to Lucius. "Sit down Lucius. You are not the one in charge here. You are not the one to make decisions. Crucio."

Hermione flinched, waiting for the spell to hit her, but instead, saw Lucius Malfoy fall to the ground, crying out in pain. After a few moments, Voldemort released the curse, and Lucius slowly got up and left the room. Voldemort's serious expression had not changed while he tortured his faithful follower.

"As a Death Eater, you would have free range of the castle, but as you will remain a prisoner, you will not be able to leave. Of course, I would not make you fight your friends, but as top of your class, you deserve a high position that I am willing to give you."

"And if I refuse your offer?"

Voldemort looked straight into her eyes.

"You won't. If at first you refuse, you will not be the only person punished. We still have holds on your father."

Hermione stared at him. Becoming a Death Eater would be against everything she was, but having someone, especially her Dad, be tortured because of her decisions made her cringe. If she accepted his offer, she would become even more of a prisoner. He would know every breath she took, she would belong to him. On the other hand, she might never be able to escape if she joined his ranks.

"Miss Granger, I need a decision."


	9. Chapter 9

"No."

Voldemort stared at her for a moment then nodded his head and stood up. He seemed to have accepted the fact that she would not join his forces, at the moment. Voldemort nodded at Bellatrix, and she started walking out of the room. There was no doubt of who she was going to retrieve.

"Wait," Hermione paused. "You did not let me finish."

"Then start talking Miss Granger. I do not have all day to listen to you, as you might think."

Hermione cringed but looked up into his eyes.

"I will not become a Death Eater, but I am willing to help you. I will not help you fight battles against my friends."

"Then what are you planning to do? Go around promoting my kingdom?"

"I could if you wanted me to."

Voldemort sat back down and stared at her for what felt like several hours. Hermione tried her hardest not to let her eyes wonder away from his. She would not let her father be killed like her mother was.

"I am not going to let you out of this castle. You will be checking the backgrounds of potential Death Eaters."

Hermione stared in shock.

"Do you think of me so lowly Miss Granger? I do not allow scum into my army. I am getting plenty of offers, and you looking over them would give me more time for much more important things."

Voldemort smiled at her, and Hermione tried not to wince. His smile was unnatural; something cruel that would only show after someone else had been hurt. Everything in Voldemort's body had been reshaped by dark magic. There was nothing left of the person who had once been Tom Riddle.

After a few seconds, Voldemort straightened up and his smile melted from his face.

"Bellatrix will show you to the room which you will be working in. Your work will be looked over after every day by Lucius Malfoy. Don't look so disappointed; if you let in a traitor, he wouldn't be the only one punished."

Voldemort nodded at Bellatrix, and she started walking out of the room, expecting Hermione to follow. Hermione was happy to oblige. If she spent any more time in the room with Voldemort, she might have collapsed from the strain of being under his gaze. There was a pressure pounding down on her every time she made eye contact with him.

Once into the Great Hall, Hermione kept her head up proudly as the Death Eaters glared death at her. She knew, like everybody else in the room, that she did not belong there. Hogwarts, which had once been her home for most of the year, was now void of the life which had once filled it.

Bellatrix showed Hermione to an office-like space on the third floor close to where her Muggle Studies classroom had been. There was a desk with stacks of papers on it and a door which probably led to some sort of bedroom.

"You will not leave this room unless you feel suicidal, then come straight to me," Bellatrix said sweetly. "And don't look into my lord's eyes. You are filth and do not deserve the gratitude that he has given you." Bellatrix turned around and left the room. The door closed, and Hermione heard Bellatrix enchant the door using _colloportus_. Hermione's hand itched for a wand so that she could counter the spell.

* * *

Life had become routine after two months of working for Voldemort. Hermione woke up at seven o'clock every day in the room attached to the office that she now worked in. Breakfast was brought to her by Corte, who still disliked her no matter how sweet she was to him. Hermione would then spend the rest of her day working on background checks for potential Death Eaters. If she was lucky, she might be able to get two done in one day. 

It wasn't precisely hard to meet Death Eater Standards. There had to be proof that the wizard or witch was at least a half-blood. Then it was Hermione's job to look through everything that the person in question had done in his or her life. So far, thirty people had been rejected. Most of them had too much Muggle blood in them. Hermione found it ironic how she was the one deciding who had enough pureblood to be let in, but she kept this to herself. Lucius Malfoy, who checked her progress once a week, had kept a real dislike for her ever since the meeting with Voldemort.

If Voldemort had taken complete control over the wizarding world, Hermione had no clue about it. Lucius Malfoy, her only contact to the outside world, told her nothing.

Hermione looked down at the next wizard in consideration and sighed. Life was getting boring.

"Slacking on the job Miss Granger? I would have expected much more from you."

After the initial shock of someone else being in the room with her, Hermione let down her guard, but refused to turn around and face Voldemort. If he wanted her to see him, he would have to be the one that walked around to the front of her desk.

"I thought that you would have been more excited to see me, especially when the only person you have seen in the past two months has been Malfoy."

Hermione felt Voldemort take another step towards her, leaving only a few inches to separate them. The cold that she expected to radiate from his body was nonexistent. Instead, there was warmth which came to her unexpectedly. Hermione winced and put her mind set back on a cold demure.

Voldemort walked in front of her and looked down on her as she sat at her desk.

"You have provided me with many new loyal followers. As I have told you, Lord Voldemort rewards those who are gracious to him, your door will be open from now on, but if you try to leave the castle, all of your past restrictions and more will be placed upon you."

Voldemort left the room, and Hermione stared at the open door with shock until she stood up and started walking towards the library.

* * *

"Your friend is still alive, Harry Potter." 

Harry looked up at the cloaked figure and smiled. Over the past several months he had been worried about Hermione, along with everyone else in the Order.

"Is she well?"

"Yes, she has been working for Voldemort, but do not become angry Harry Potter," the voice said in haste. "She has been kept under lock and key, and has been threatened with both the torture of herself and her father. If you were in her situation, I am sure you would do the same."

Remus Lupin stood up and nodded towards the spy.

"We are thankful for the information that you bring us. Is there anything else that we should know?"

"Only the fact that every day you wait, Hermione is recruiting more Death Eaters. If you stay in hiding for too long, Voldemort will have taken over the entire world, and you will have no chance."

AN: Ah, another chapter out and the plot is thickening like a good cream sauce…maybe I should have worked on my comparisons this summer, oh well. I hope you like this new chapter. I would like to thank **Ready…aim…fire**, **PrincessOfHeartsNYP**, **Person of a Strange Origin**, **Blond-gym-chick**, **Blood Blossom**, and **MistressAnime** for reviewing chapter 8.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione pulled up a chair and reached towards one of the books that she needed on the top shelf. The library was an impending challenge without magic. Staircases which led to the second floor of the library would move around, leading to unneeded sections. All staircases moved in the castle, but these had been made especially for the library, forcing unwanted visitors to be stuck in a section completely devoted to frog stomachs. The moving staircases in the library were good for protection, but now they were just a hassle. Madam Pince and Hermione were the only ones who knew how to control the stairs, but Hermione didn't have a wand and there was no sign of Madam Pince ever coming back to Hogwarts. Hermione had no choice but to wait for the staircases to move to where she needed them if she wanted to get books from the second level.

A blank sheet of paper flew across the room, and Hermione tensed for a moment. No one was supposed to be in the library. All of the Death Eaters were supposed to be in a meeting with Voldemort, or going out to fight battles for him. No one in Voldemort's world had time for to go and search for books in the library: that is why she felt so safe in the library, but what was a piece of paper doing flying around? Hermione looked around for someone and sighed when she realized that a window was open. The paper must have caught the wind. If only she could do the same.

Hermione's mind sparked at that moment, and looked around the library. There had to be a section on flying. Everything was possible with magic, except, of course, waking the dead, but that was minor. If she could find a book on flying she could teach herself how. Now the question was, where would it be? There was a chance that it could be close to the quidditch corner, or it could be in one of the more advanced enchantment books.

After an hour of searching, the quidditch section had been completely combed through with no success. It was a small part of the library, which was why Hermione had chosen to go through it first, but the only thing that Hermione had found out about flying without a broomstick was that it was illegal in the game of quidditch. At least she knew that it was actually possible to fly cordless.

"I understand that Lord Voldemort has given you free reign of the castle, but that does not mean that you are aloud to completely forget your job," Lucius Malfoy said as he walked around a bookshelf. Hermione hated how people just kept on popping up with no forewarning. It was really starting to get on her nerves.

"I wouldn't call it a job, Malfoy," Hermione bit back. "It's more like slave labor if you ask me."

"That is what my Lord wanted me to talk to you about," Lucius sneered at Hermione. "We are not going to pay you, but Lord Voldemort believes that because you are working for him without any fighting back, _that we know of_, you will be allowed to have time for yourself once you have gone through two files each day."

"But I barely make it through two on good days. What type of payment is that?"

"This offer can be revoked," he said coldly. "I see no need for you to have any privileges, but if my Lord wants it, then I will follow."

Lucius started walking out of the library, but turned back towards her for a second.

"Don't get any ideas about finding methods of escape. Your room will lock at every midnight, and will not reopen until you finish two files. It would be a bad idea to get locked outside of your room. Very bad indeed."

Once Hermione had the library back to herself, she went back to her research. The library had a clock near the book return to make tardiness easier to punish. She would just have to bring books over to places where the clock was visible. The sun was already going down, and the magical torches were already set aflame. Hermione smiled at the fire, knowing that it had been her that had convinced Madam Pince to make the library open past six o'clock.

With a glance over towards the clock, Hermione rushed towards the books containing advanced charms. She pulled out several books that looked like they might give her a clue. _Hesse's Guide to Any Other Day Activities_ and _Things that you never knew you could do with magic! _looked promising. Hesse had written a few other good books that Hermione had read in the past. Hermione pulled out another two books that had some potential. Until she actually found the tomb containing information on all the books, things would be a bit difficult. It had to be hidden somewhere, but today was not the day to search for it.

Hermione picked up all four books and started walking towards the door, turned around, and then went to go check the books out of the library. It was stupid, but the library had powerful magic installed into it. Nobody could take any book out without declaring that they had it, even if there was no one to declare it to.

A small creature popped out as she reached the desk, and Hermione started to scream. It looked like a mixture between a sloth and a grindylow.

"Quiet, girl. Don't you remember that libraries are quiet places?"

Hermione nodded her head.

"Good girl, just hand those books over and I'll check them out for you."

After a few moments, the creature handed her back the books.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Allemande, protector of the library," he said proudly.

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what breed are you?"

"I'm not really any type of breed, more of a creation. I was made, like the sorting hat, by the four founders. I don't die, and I never leave the desk. I'm only here now because there is no librarian. Otherwise I disappear. What happened to her?"

Hermione looked out the window as the sun sank into the horizon. She really didn't want to be in the hallways after dark with Death Eaters roaming around everywhere. Though fascinating, she didn't have the time to tell the whole story to the creature.

"A dark lord has taken over Hogwarts and is planning on taking over the world."

"Oh no," Allemande said, seeming like he had no clue how bad it really was. "I'll just keep on protecting the library."

Hermione turned around and rushed to the doors of the library, but then she stopped. There was something shining at her from one of the tables. Hermione walked closer to it and reached out for it slowly. It wasn't large, a bit bigger than her wrist, and Hermione cautiously closed her hand around it. After a second, Hermione realized what it was.

"A watch," she exclaimed. Then she turned towards the desk. "Allemande, did you leave this watch here by any chance?"

The creature put a clawed finger up to its mouth to silence her. Allemande was a true librarian. "I can't leave the desk," it said pounding on the wood.

"Oh, right," she said to herself. Then whose watch was it? Hermione looked around the bookshelves but to no avail. No person was in the library but herself. She started to put the watch back on the table but clenched it back when she realized that there was a note addressed to her where the watch had once been.

Hermione broke the seal on the back and began reading.

_Dear Hermione,_

_You might be needing this for later use, it would not be very good if you were late to your room. I have heard both Lucius' and Voldemort's plans for if you break the rule. _

_Just want you to know that you are not alone in this castle._

_Burn this letter once you have read it._

_-A friend_

Hermione reread the letter and then went immediately to one of the torches to burn it. Putting on the watch, Hermione picked up her books and headed out the door. She had luck walking through the castle until she reached the corridor containing her room. Draco Malfoy was sitting against the wall across from her door. He looked over at her with a sneer.

"What have you been up to, Granger?" He growled as he stood up.

"Breathing."

Hermione ignored him and opened the door to her room. Before she could get through the threshold, Draco grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back outside. Hermione had barely gotten her book into her room when she dropped him.

"Those are some suspicious books, Granger. Care to tell me what they are for?"

"I'm bored, what else would you expect me to do? Prance around the Great Hall in front of Voldemort? Oh, wait, that's what you do, isn't it?"

Draco let out a scream of anger and slapped her across the cheek. He had used enough power to completely wipe her of her feet. Her head slammed to the ground and Hermione wished to whatever gods that would listen that she didn't just feel that rip in her skin.

"Don't show cheek to a pureblood," Draco said with all the confidence of his master. Then his mood turned brighter. "Blood can be washed out, but the last drop of blood in a human body stains. Stay off the carpets."

And with that, Draco Malfoy walked off, leaving Hermione to crawl to her door. It opened, and Hermione forced herself to reach a chair that she could put her head on. She had to keep the gash on her head above her heart. That was her only chance now.

A/N: It helps when I listen to music when I write, and recently I've been getting most of this story done while listening to Evanescence. It's five songs on repeat, cause I don't like most of their songs, but they definitely put me in the 'Hermione's stuck in Voldemort's castle' mood. I would like to thank **MistressAnime, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, LNluvsHostile17, Mandi, HermioneandMarcus, Hpfanf, and Acdecnerd** for reviewing my last chapter. Y'all are the best!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter series and I do not make a profit from this story.

There were several moments when Hermione thought that she had not made it through, but every once and a while she would hear someone sitting next to her. They never spoke, but she could hear their breathing. It was easy to tell the gender of the person. So far, she had counted three men and two women. Who they were, she had no idea. Hermione did not have the will to open her eyes whenever someone sat next to her.

After a while of consciousness, Hermione realized that she wasn't the only injured person coming to the room she was in. At first she had been alone, but after her last visitor someone else came, screaming in pain. Another second passed, and Hermione realized that she was listening to the soothing voice of Madame Pomfrey.

Once the man had stopped screaming, possibly he had been put to sleep, Hermione opened her eyes. The sterile hospital wing came into her gaze; it was still a bit foggy, but she was in one of the beds. Madame Pomfrey was bending over the newest edition to the wing, who was covered in blood. Hermione winced and turned away, but a question lingered in her mind. What was Madame Pomfrey doing here? She should have left when everyone evacuated Hogwarts.

A man at the doorway grunted, and Hermione immediately closed her eyes as Madame Pomfrey's shoes began to click across the room.

"I have two very sick patients, Rocklin, and you are not in any way remotely harmed. What do you want?"

"It is not what I want, but what the Dark Lord wants."

"Well, what is it?"

"My Lord wants to know when Miss Granger will be ready to begin working again. She is an important part of my Lord's goals, and he needs as little delay as possible."

There was a silence, where Madame Pomfrey was probably looking over her, noting her condition.

"Hermione will be ready in a few hours. The wound has healed without infection, but she still needs to grow more blood cells."

"Can't you do anything to speed it up?" Rocklin said urgently.

"I already have," Madame Pomfrey said bitterly. "Now get out of here, unless you want me to check up on those genital warts that you have."

Rocklin whispered something that Hermione could not interpret and stomped out of the room while Madame Pomfrey laughed. Then Madame Pomfrey made her way over to Hermione.

"Open your eyes, Hermione. I know that you are awake."

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and looked at the pale face of Hogwarts's healer.

"I'm glad to see that you are still alive. I knew that you were a strong one ever since that encounter with the troll."

Hermione should have thanked her for the compliment, but she couldn't keep her questions down.

"Why are you still at Hogwarts?" She blurted out.

"Is there something wrong with being here?"

"You're helping murderers! Are you a Death Eater too?" Hermione exclaimed.

Madame Pomfrey paused for a moment and then smiled.

"Are you a murderer, Miss Granger?"

Hermione was appalled by this question. How could anyone suspect her of being a murderer?

"That has nothing to do with my question, but in case you have forgotten, no, I am not."

"Then I am not only helping murderers. Calm down Hermione. There is no reason to cause a commotion. I am surprised that you of all people would not know this. It is my duty to stay at my position, no matter what, unless, of course, I am directly threatened. It is part of the oath taken when becoming a healer. I do not care about the sins of the person that I am healing."

Hermione thought this new information over. "They have not threatened you?"

"Lord Voldemort is too smart to let any of his Death Eaters do something as stupid as that."

Madame Pomfrey started to walk away, but Hermione held out her hand.

"By any chance, do you know who found me? There wasn't supposed to be anyone coming to my room."

"That is not in my judgment to say. Now I believe that you should be making your way back to your room. I will have a house-elf escort you. I thought you'd need a few more hours, but you don't."

Hermione groaned, wishing that she could stay in bed for another few minutes, but she gingerly got out and changed into the robes that were on her bedside table while the house-elf was being fetched. Hermione followed it to her room and thanked it before it scurried off. The door closed behind her, and Hermione headed towards her desk.

The books from the library were stacked neatly upon her desk. Hermione smiled and ran towards the books. Nobody was expecting her to work for a few more hours. She only had to hope that the spell that she needed was in one of the four books.

After scanning quickly through the first two books, Hermione had almost lost hope, but after a mere hour of research, she found what she was looking for in _Hesse's Guide to Any Other Day Activities_.

The spell incantation was _levoxcrus_, and it would take deep concentration and her own wand. It wouldn't work with someone else's wand. The magic needed too much power.

Voldemort possessed her wand. She was going to have to find it. It was probably in his private room, is she guessed correctly, and the only things that would know where his room was would be the paintings and the…

"Miss Hermione, you had me in quite a scare. It would be awful if we lost another Gryffindor," Nearly Headless Nick seemed generally concerned.

"My wand," Hermione said, completely ignoring common courtesy. "Voldemort took it, and I think it is in his chambers. I need it to escape. It is fifteen inches long, made of vine wood, and has a dragon heartstring as the core. You have to help me find it."

Nearly Headless Nick frowned for a moment, but complied with her will.

"His chambers are next to the library. I will go check for your wand, but I will not guarantee anything."

Nearly Headless Nick floated through the walls, and Hermione waited in silence for his return. She would have expected Voldemort's chambers to be in the dungeons, but after a few moments of thinking, Hermione remembered that Voldemort was searching for immortality. The library would be the best place to conduct the search.

Once Nick returned, Hermione's spirits lifted when she saw his expression. Her guess had been right.

"Miss Hermione, your wand is placed in the second drawer of the black desk in his room. What I found most surprising was that his door was not even locked."

"He must have an alarm spell on it."

"If there is one, it's one that I have never seen."

Hermione nodded and started towards the door, but then she turned towards the ghost.

"You can see spells?"

"What other advantage do you think there is to being dead?"

Hermione nodded her head, not knowing what to say in response to his question, and walked out the door, watching Nearly Headless Nick to make sure he followed. When she turned onto the corridor, she could not figure out where he had gone until she looked closely at the wall. A single ghostly wrist was sticking out, leading her to Voldemort's chambers.

As Nearly Headless Nick had predicted, the door was open, and no alarm magical alarm sounded that she could hear. The room was barren except for a tightly made four-poster bed, a desk, several chairs, and a cabinet.

Hermione rushed towards the desk and opened the second drawer from the top. Her wand was in clear view, on top of several other wands which covered the bottom of the drawer. Hermione picked it up and quickly hid the wand in the deep inside pocket of her robes then erased any sign that she had been in _his_ room.

Hermione started walking towards the door, but stopped when it started to creak open. All of the blood rushed out of her face, and she waited silently for her fate to come.

"What, precisely, are you doing in my bedroom?"

Voldemort had appeared in the doorway, and Hermione was caught almost red-handed. She just needed to find a believable reason for her being there. Hermione scanned her mind for something to say as his two red eyes examined her.

"I was searching for you."

Voldemort frowned but stayed silent, urging her on to explain.

"Well, you see," Hermione stumbled. "When I was lying down in the hospital wing, a thought came into my mind, and I wanted to tell it to you before it was forgotten. It is something that could insure your triumph."

Hermione had no idea what she was saying, but the words kept on flowing. She paused, but Voldemort kept on staring at her.

"You need to change your requirements for potential Death Eaters."

"Go on."

"You need to allow wizards and witches into your army with any amount of pureblood they have in their system. You could still give only the purebloods high positions, but every time someone is rejected, you make an enemy. If you want to get your point across to the entire world, you need to make things simpler. It should be magic against non-magic, not pureblood magic against lesser-blood magic but more importantly against the muggles, but only the ones who disregard you. It gets too confusing."

Hermione knew she was babbling, but she had to make it sound convincing. If she could get out of this situation with her wand intact, there was still a chance for escape.

"So shortening everything up," Voldemort slithered. "You want to let mudbloods in with my devoted followers."

"Well, it's actually something more like there being a change in your principles. You already have devoted followers; you just need to set a more realistic goal and bulk up your army."

Hermione winced and hoped to whatever god that was out there that she had not offended him. She did not want to end up at the hospital wing again after just leaving.

Voldemort smiled at her, and she tried not to cringe from the unnatural sight.

"You know, Miss Granger, I believe that the real reason that you came here is that you missed me while you were unconscious."

"No, I really thought about how you could advance your goals," Hermione said urgently.

"But you do not deny missing me. How fascinating. I could have sworn that you loathed me, but here I find you, in my bedchamber, looking for me."

Hermione caught on. Behind his sick and twisted words he was playing a game with her. He was trying to figure out if there was any other reason for her being in his room.

Hermione mustered up her courage. She was not going to be toyed with.

"If you do not like my offer, then you could just say so. I have a job to do, and I do not need to waste time." She turned on her heel and left the room, hopefully leaving Voldemort in a stupor, but she wasn't so lucky.

"Wait," he yelled out to her after a few paces.

Hermione froze and hoped that he had not noticed the wand in her pocket. Time seemed to last forever before he spoke again.

"We will go along with your plan, Miss Granger, but if something goes wrong, if there is one single traitor among the group you let in, I will make sure that it is you who receives their punishments."

Hermione winced again, but straightened her back and smiled as she headed towards her room. Voldemort would have to wait for her plan to be set into motion, but first, he would have to find someone else to do her job.

A/N: Well, that was certainly fun to write. I tried to make this chapter a bit longer (and a bit more interesting, I know the last chapter wasn't too exciting), but I truly am not too good at making chapters any longer. Anyways, I'd like to thank all of those readers who reviewed the last chapter: **MistressAnime**, **Chrystal241**, **Hpfanf**, **Rock Royalty**, and **PrincessOfHeartsNYP**. Thanks again!


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